Honing or sharpening device for cloth cutting machines



\ w v J. SILBERSTAN HONING OIR SHAHPENING DEVICE FOR GLUT-H CUTTINGMACHINES Filed Aug. 5, 193@ Patented Mar. 25, 1941 PATENT OFFICE HNING RSHARPENING DEVICEFOR TCLTH CUTTING MACHINES Jacob Silberstang, New York,N. Y.

Application August 5,

Claims.

rlhe present invention relates to an improvement in cloth cuttingmachines and has for its principal object the provision of meansthereon,

substantially permanently mounted thereto, of

5 a'knife sharpening means, whereby, as required,

from time to time, the knife edge maybe sharpened or honed.

One of the main features of the present im-` proved svtructure is that`the sharpening of the blade is accomplished by a sharpening means whichis moved to the blade" and simultaneously contacts on both sides andbottom edge thereof,- the sharpening being accomplished by the normalreciprocation of the blade against the xedly held sharpening means. Thusthe blade may be quickly and automatically brought to a keen cuttingedge, without stopping the machine and without any grinding movement ofthe normally stationary sharpening means, other thanl to ra- 20` diallymove it into land out of knife edge engagement.

Afurther feature of advantage in the present improvement is that thepresent sharpening means acts as a blade guard, protecting the operatorfrom `accidentally touching the blade edge, the blade cutting edge beingalso protected thereby from inadvertent damage.

A further feature of advantage is` that the present sharpening meansalso mounts the presser foot, the presser foot and its attached bladegrinding or sharpening means are vertically movable to accommodate thevarying thickness of the pile of cloth being cut.

A further feature of advantage lies in the provision olf means forlocking and releasing the sharpening means and its presser foot in anyadjusted upward position when first entering the knife towards the clothto be cut.

A further improvement relates to the manner 40 in which the sharpeningelements are automatically and normally held out of blade sharpeningposition and the manner of arrangement of the said elements upon theguard frame.

An outstanding function of the instant structure is its simplicity, easeof operation, its applicability to any existing cutting machine, new orold. The present improvement does not, of itself, require the use ofseparate driving means or prime mover.

A further feature of advantage is in the provision of two separated,pivotally and vertically mounted shafts upon which are mounted aplurallty of outstanding Ybracket arms on the outer ends of each ofwhich are removably mounted abrasive blocks or hones, which' blocksduring 1938,'Serial No. 223,1{77

the sharpening operation, simultaneously contact on both faces of theblade edge, in balanced pressure. The blocks or hones, being removablymounted may be reversed in their bracket or arm ends, as one side of thesharpening face wears away, and thus be quickly renewed.`

A further feature of advantage lies in the use cf plural hones, thesebeing vertically spaced apart from each other on the same shaft supportand being spaced apart, alternately, from each other on their respectivepivotal shafts. The vertical spacing or pitch of the hone pieces betweeneach other and on each shaft is less than the stroke of the blade, sothat normal reciprocation of the blade causes all 'of the blade edge tobe honed or ground.

A further feature of advantage is in the provision of means between thehone holding arms and their respective shaft mountings whereby the facesof the hones may all be adjustably alined to contact on both sides ofthe ground face of the cutting blade, evenly and simultaneously. Asconstructed and operated, the hones are flat faced and due to the mannerof mounting them on the arms, which are slightly flexible, the honescontact with the ground faces of the bladeat a narrow angle, as will behereinafter pointed out in detail.

Means are also provided whereby the hones are normally and resilientlyheld out of operative honing position when not in use, being heldforwardly of the cutting blade and being manually adjustable for movingthe hones to honing position on opposite sides of the blade cuttingedge. p

The foregoing and other features of advantage w'illl be apprehended asthe herein description proceeds, and it will be obvious thatmodifications may be made in the structure herein, without departingfrom the spirit hereof or the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of the cutting machine andhoning means;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front view, in elevation, of the upper part ofthe honing means;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the side opposite to that shown in Fig.1, showing the hone carrier latching and release means;

Fig. l is a fragmentary side view of the hone, hone arm and `carriershaft;

lig. 5 is an end view of the hone and gripping means as `viewed from;the right hand side of Fig.s4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, taken on the line 8 6, Fig. 1, looking inthe direction of the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view, in front elevation, of the manual meansfor controlling the hones;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view in plan, taken on line 8 8, Fig. l, lookingin the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the presser foot removed from its operativeposition on the reciprocating hone holding guide.

In general, most of the cloth cutting machines comprise an electricmotor M, which is connected to a vertical standard or knife guide S, byan intermediate connection or motor base N, Fig. 1. The standard S isgrooved as at o, Figs. 1 and 8, to guide a vertically reciprocating,angled face knife 1c. The upper end of the knife k is connected to amotor driven rotary means, not shown, but is well known in this art. Themotor and knife standard connecting means is provided with the usualhorizontal handle H, broken for conveniency, Fig. l, whereby the cutteris manually directed against the cloth to be cut.

The knife standard or guide S is firmly mounted in a base plate B of thecustomary kind. All of the foregoing noted parts are substantiallystandard to cloth cutting machines, are well known and it is thought,need no further detailed description.

The front face plate 'I of the motor M, Figs. 1, 2 and 6 is providedwith two opposed Z-shaped guide strips 4 and 5, these being held to saidplate 'I in spaced operative position by screws 6--8, Figs. 2 and 3. Thestrips 4 and 5 are so located as to form a gibway in which is slidablymounted an H-shaped, elongate gib piece 3,

i0 which is of such a length as to permit its attached presser foot F toextend and rest upon the base B and to be fully supported by the gibwayat its upper end while in the lower position of rest.

The presser foot F of well known construction, may be afxed to the lowerend 32 of the gib 3 by any suitable means.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, one flange or rib 2l of the H-shaped gib 3 isprovided with rack teeth T along its entire length and this toothedsection with its opposite rib 20, slide in the slide grooves formed bythe guide strips 4 and 5.

A manipulating knob N is affixed at the upper end of gib 3, to enablethe user to raise and lower the gib 3, as desired.

At the front side of support N, Figs. 2 and 3, is located a bearingblock 39, which is secured to the slide 5 by screws 48-40, said bearing39 slidably supporting a toothed detent 38, the inner end of saidplunger being provided with teeth, which mesh with the teeth T on saidgib 3. The outer end of said plunger 38 is provided with a yoke Y and inthis yoke is pivotally mounted, by a pin 4I, to one arm 36 of a handlever, the opposite end of said lever having a twisted section 3l toform a flat manipulative handle, which extends downwardly at a slightangle, so as to be located adjacent the cutting machine handle H, forconvenience in manipulating, Figs. 2-3.

The lever portion 38 is pivoted in a trunnion block 33 by a pin 34, saidblock being aflixed to the support N by screws 33''-33, Fig. 3. Thus thelever 38-31 is pivoted adjacent the toothed detent 38, so that saiddetent may be reciprocated in the bearing 39, to hold or release the gibrack 3 in any upper or lower position of vertical adjustment.

The hand lever 36-31 is spring actuated to normally keep the tootheddetent 38 in meshed contact with the gib-rack 3, and to this end, acompressible coiled spring 35, Fig. 3, is connected between the arm 36and the trunnion block 33. Squeezing the lever arm 31 towards the handleH releases the gib-rack and its appurtenant parts.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the gibrack 3 and its presserfoot F may be moved up and down, as indicated by dotted lines F, Fig. l,carrying with it the knife sharpening means mounted thereon, as will nowbe described.

The front face of the gib-rack 3, as will be seen in Figs. 1 and 7mounts an angle bracket bearing 8, to form an upper bearing for twovertically alined, rotatable shafts I-II, Fig. 7. The bearing ends ofshafts I ll-II may be reduced in diameter as at I and I6. Below thebearing 8, the shafts are provided with two intermeshing gears I2 andI3. The reduced end I5 of shaft I0 is extended and mounts thereon a handoperated lever I8, the hub I'l of which is suitably affixed to the shaftextension I5. A coiled spring I4 is mounted over extension I5, and hasone of its ends xedly caught on hub I'I. The other end of said springbeing extended and caught on the short extending end of shaft end I6.This arrangement causes the lever I8 to be normally and resiliently heldin the retracted position shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

The lower end of the gib-rack 3 also has a fixed angle bracket bearing9, which rotatably supports the lower reduced or shouldered ends ofshafts I0 and II, as can be seen in Fig. l. Thus the parallel shafts I0and II are rotatable in opposite directions simultaneously by reason ofthe meshed gears I2 and I3 fixed thereon, when the handle I8 ismanipulated to the dotted position shown at A, Fig. 6.

Each of the shafts are provided with a plurality of slightly resilientsheet metal arms 24, these arms being right and left handed in theirmounting on each shaft.

The arms generally denoted by 2 and 2, are made, preferably, of natsheet metal to obtain a certain amount of side resilience when the honepieces 22 contact with the blade edge.

The arms are each provided at one end with a quill ended, shaftembracing curl 25, Figs. 4 and 8, and, as seen in Fig. 4, are downwardlyoffset at 24. The opposite end of each arm is formed a hone embracingjaw or clip 23', which is so bent as to provide two opposing, resilienthone gripping lips a-a. These lips are spaced apart, and are resilientlyfurther spread apart upon the introduction of a rectangular hone piece22 therebetween, such assembly being shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The hone pieces are preferably made of a suitable abrasive stone ofsuitable grain, and are each provided with opposed, longitudinal sidegrooves 22' and 22', into which the lips a-a compressively engage, tothereby removably 'hold the hones in operative blade edge honingposition. 'Ihe hones are shown as being rectangular, but they could beof any other operative outline or contour. By the hone and jawconstruction above described, when the sharpening or honing surface ofhone 22 becomes glazed or worn, the hone may be withdrawn and bereversely inserted with its opposite honing face exposed, or a newhoning piece inserted in the jaw 23.

In order to provide means for adjustably and operatively mounting thehoning arms 2 and 2' to the shafts I and Il, the quills 25 are providedwith two parallel, elongate slots 2li- 26 near their ends and aftersnapping the quills onto the shafts lll or Il, two screws 21-21 arescrewed into the shafts through the said elongate slots, and, afterradially adjusting all of the arms on each shaft into blade contactingalinement, the screws 21 are firmly tightened on the quills. Thisconstruction permits of individual radial adjustment of each hone andhone arm, if desired. This latter feature of radial adjustment, as willvbe seen dotted, Fig. 8, brings all of the honing faces in such positionthat they all contact, simultaneously on opposite sides of blade lc atand near the cutting edge E, to produce an even contact of all of thehones along the entire operative length of the cutting edge.

The hone holding arms on each shaft I0 or ll are mounted in a relativelystaggered arrangement as will be seen in Fig. 1, where the hone arms Elland hones 22 are held in non-operative position away from the knife bythe spring I4, as previously described. In Fig. 1 the lowermost firstarm 2', which is located on shaft I0 is spaced from its next upper,successive arm 2', and this spacing continues on the other arms 2', onshaft Il). As thus shown the honing faces of the hones 22 are facedtowards the viewer.

The hone arms on shaft Il are each located between the spaces of thehone arms on shaft l0, and vice versa, an-d thus the hone arms on eachshaft I!) and Il are alternated or staggered. As viewed in Figs. 6 and8, when the hone arms are in non-operative position, the outer hone endsof 2 and 2 pass one another, at their extremities into the spacesbetween each row of hone arms. Thus the faces of the hones 22 on theshaft Il face away from the viewer, as shown in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 6 and 8, when the hone arms and hones are back in non-operativeposition the honing faces are exposed, but when the arm I8 is swung onehundred and eighty degrees, approximately, to the dotted position, inFig. 6, the hone arms are moved to the dotted positions shown in Figs. land 8, with the honing faces in contact with the blade 1c.

A further feature of advantage will be noted by a study of Fig. 8, inwhich the blade contacting hones embrace the angular blade k at itsangular face planes, shown dotted, so that the blade wears back at itsnatural angle as it is repeatedly sharpened.

When the opposed honing devices are brought to the blade as shown dottedin Fig. 8, the blade is permitted to oscillate at its customary speedand the blade is thus rubbed up and down against the stationary hones,to which pressure may be applied by the handle I8.

Due to the construction and location of this sharpening device, with thepresser foot F, resting on the base B, the operative reciprocation ofthe blade brings up the lower, under, angled cutting edge L, Fig. l,intol such position upwardly as to cause said cutting edge to be alsoautomatically sharpened as it alternately contacts with the two lower,opposed hones.

It will thus be seen that the Sharpener as applied and operated issimple in construction and speedy in operation, and in nowise interfereswith the operation of the cutter.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is: l

1. In combination, a cloth cutter having a vertically reciprocatingknife, a gib, guide means for slidably supporting the gib for verticalmovement in front of said knife, two rotatable shafts mounted for rotarymovement on said gib, each shaft having a row of outstanding radial armsmounted thereon, said arms having resilient hone holding jaws, each jawmounting a hone; and means between said arms and said shafts forproviding radial alining adjustment therebetween.

2. The combination with a cloth cutter having a vertically reciprocatingknife, knife sharpening means including a slidable gib, guide means onthe cutter for slidably supporting the gib for vertical operation infront of said knife, a presser foot carried by said gib, two rotatableshafts mounted for rotary movement on said gib, each shaft having a rowof outstanding arms mounted thereon, said arms having resilient honeholding jaws, each jaw mounting a removable reversible, nonrotatablehone.

3. The combination with a cloth cutter having a vertically reciprocatingknife, knife sharpening means, including a slidable gib, guide means forslidably supporting the gib for vertical operation in front of saidknife, a presser foot carried by said gib, a pair of opposed, dualbearings spacedly mounted upon said gib, a pair of spaced parallelshafts vertically mounted in said bearings and adapted to be moved withsaid gib, a plurality of groups of hone carrying means adjustablycarried on each said shafts in normally staggered relation to the armson the other shaft, each of said hone carrying arms being provided witha nonrotatable, removable hone and means on and between said shafts forsimultaneously and radially moving said hones to opposite faces of saidblade,v

4. The combination with a cloth cutter having a vertically reciprocatingknife, knife sharpening means, including a slidable gib, guide means forslidably supporting the gib for vertical operation in front of saidknife, a presser foot carried by said gib, upper and lower bearings onsaid gib, a pair of vertical shafts mounted in said bearings; a group ofresilient outstanding arms mounted in one row on each shaft, meansbetween said arms and said shafts for providing radial aliningadjustment therebetween, each arm having a resilient hone supporting jawthereon at its outer end and hones located inl each said jaw, said honeson each row of arms being faced normally outward when in non-operativeposition, and means for rotating the shafts to carry the hones from thenon-operative contact with said knife to operative honing contacttherewith.

5. The combination with a cloth cutter having a vertically reciprocatingknife, knife sharpening means, including a slidable gib, guide means forslidably supporting the gib for vertical operation in front of saidknife, a presser foot carried by said gib, a dual spaced apart knifehoning means; means for mounting said duel knife honing means on saidgib normally out of operative contact with said knife and movable intocontact with the knife, and, manual means for causing said honing meansto contact on both sides of the cutting edge of said knife duringreciprocation of the blade, said slidable gib being provided on one ofits edges with a toothed rack section, and a control lever movably andpivotally mounted adjacent thereto, said lever having a pivoted,slidable, toothed latch manually engageable with said rack portionwhereby to lock said gib and its fixed associate presser foot and honingmeans in any adjusted position and to release said gib and associatemembers from their latched adjusted position.

JACOB SILBERSTANG.

